Trolling-float.



No. 780,029. PATENTED JAN. 17, 1905.

M. PLEGLE.

TROLLING FLOAT.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 29, 1904.

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Patented January 17, 1905.

MARTIN FLEGL'IG, OF lvllNNEAPOl'lltl, lVllNNESOlA.

TROLMNGFLOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,029, dated January1'7, 1905.

Application filed April 29, 1904. Serial No. 205,487.

To all whom, it In/my earl/eerie.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN FL'noLn, a citizen of the United States,residing at lVIinneapolis, county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ilrollingd loats,o'l which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to floats for use in lishing; and its principalobject is to provide a moving float adapted to carry a line or lines atthe side of and some distance from a moving boat and also adapted to beoperated in like manner from :the shore.

The device, stated in a general way, consists of a relatively long andflat body, preferably tapering toward the bottom and at the ends andmade sufliciently buoyant to float with its wider edge above the surfaceof the water, suitable tin-like lateral projections at the sides, andadjustable guy-crds and a tow-line for operating the device.

My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device viewed from the side to whichthe tow-line is connected. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite sideof the device. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device inverted. Fig. i is atransverse sectional view, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, of part ofthe right-hand portion of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, 1 designates the upper relatively wide and hollowportion of the body adapted to cause the device to float, and 2 thelower and flat portion adapted to maintain the body in upright position.This body is preferably formed of tin or other sheet metal bent to thedesired shape and having the edges soldered together. The hollow portion1 is preferably of triangular shape in cross-section, about as shown,and the lower portion 2 is preferably inclined to a slight extent towardthe tow-line side, as indicated in Fig. 3. he walls of the upper portion1 are made to converge at the ends, as shown at 3, and these ends arealso beveled inward and downward, as shown at 4, and the ends of thelower body portion 2 are also beveled or inclined inward to the loweredge, as shown at 5. At the towline side are upper and lower in-liketapering lateral extensions 6 and 7, respectively. These lins arelocated near the ends, from which they trend slightly downward towardthe middle, for the purpose of causing the front portion of the float torise and the rear portion to lower to a suitable extent, and therebyavoid any tendency of the device to dive while in motion. On theopposite side and attached to the lower portion 2 is a thin flange 8,extending nearly to the ends of the body and having its end portionsslightly bent in upward direction, as shown at 9, to cooperate with thelins 6 and 7 in causing the forward end of the float in motion to tendto rise.

To the inner ends of the [ins 6 and 7 are at tached guide-rods 10 and11, to which the towline or controlling-line is connected. Thisconnection is preferably made by means of rings 12, which may slide uponthe rods and to which are attached suitably-convergent guycords 13 Forattachment of the tow-line 14:. Although the rings 12 are capable ofsliding freely from end to end on the rods 10 and 11, they remain inposition at the forward ends of the guides so long as the tension uponthe tow line continues; but when the latter is slacked the momentum ofthe float, combined with the resistance of the water to the forwardmovement of the line and connections, will cause the rings to slide tothe other ends of the guide-rods, whereupon a renewal of tension uponthe line will cause the float to tack or move in opposite direction.Obviously if it is desired to have the float head in one direction onlythe guy-cords could be permanently attached and the rings and guide-rodsdispensed with; but such arrangement would greatly limit the degree ofusefulness of the device.

To utilize the float for trolling, a line 15 may be attached to it, andshort lines (not shown) may also be attached to a portion of thetowline. Preferably the line 15 is passed through a hole 16 in theflange 8, near its middle, so as not to interfere with the reversal ofthe float movement, and the length of theline can be regulated bywinding it arounda pair of hookshaped holders 17, secured to the body 2above the flange 8.

In operating the float in a current or from a moving boat or by walkingalong shore the float is placed in the water with the rings 12 of theguy-cords set at the forward ends of the guide-rods 10 and 11, andtension is then exerted upon the to\ line, which will cause the float tomove in an oblique direction as long as the line is paid out and heldsufficiently taut. To cause it then to move in an opposite obliquedirection, it is only necessary to slacken the tow-line until theresistance of the water upon it and the momentum of the float havecaused the rings of the guy-cords to be shifted to the opposite or rearends of the guide-rods, whereupon renewal of tension upon the tow-linewill start the float in opposite oblique direction. The tow-line can bemost satisfactorily controlled by means of an ordinary fishing-rod andreel.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. A float, comprising a relatively long and tapering body havingin-like projections and adapted to float edgewise, and a tow-line and.

suitable connecting devices for causing the float to move in the waterat an angle to the line of traction, substantially as set forth.

2. A float, comprising a relatively long and tapering body havingfin-like projections and adapted to float edgewise, and a tow-line andslidable connecting devices for causing the float to move in the waterat an angle to the line of traction, and for changing the direction ofmovement, substantially as set forth.

3. A float, comprising a buoyant body of somewhat wedge shape incross-section and having fins at its sides, and a to w-line and suitableconnecting devices for causing the float to move in the water at anangle to the line of traction, substantially as set forth.

a. A float, comprising a buoyant body of somewhat wedge shape incross-section and having fins at both sides and guide-rods at one side,and a tow-line and connecting devices slidable on said guides forcausing the float to move in the water at an angle to the line oftraction, and for changing the direction of movement, substantially asset forth.

5. A float, comprising a buoyant body of somewhat wedge shape incross-section and having upper and lower pairs of fins at one side and arelatively long fin-like flange at the opposite side, parallelguide-rods extending between the two members of each pair of fins, and atow-line and connecting devices slidable on said guides for causing thefloat to move in the water at an angle to the line of traction, and forchanging the direction of movement, substantially as set forth.

6. A float, comprising a buoyant body of somewhat wedge shape incross-section and having upper and lower pairs of inclined fins at oneside adapted to prevent diving and a relatively long fin-like flange atthe opposite side, parallel guide-rods extending between the two membersof each pair of fins, and a tow-line and connecting devices slidable onsaid guides for causing the float to move in the water at an angle tothe line of traction, and for changing the direction of movement,substantially as set forth.

7. A float, comprising a buoyant body of somewhat wedge shape incross-section and having upper and lower pairs of fins at one side and arelatively long fin-lilre flange at the opposite side, a trolling-lineconnected centrally to such flange, parallel guide-rods extendingbetween the two members of each pair of fins, and a tow-line andconnecting devices slidable on said guides for causing the float to movein the water at an angle to the line of traction, and for changing thedirection of movement, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification,in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 25th day of April,

MARTIN FLEGLE. WVitncsses:

P. H. GUNGKEL, H. A. BOWMAN.

